The Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan has announced that Varnum attorney Carl Ver Beek will be honored as a Local Peacemaker at the center’s “reSOLVE it!” dinner event next week.
Ver Beek is being recognized for his hundreds of volunteer hours as a mediator for the center, helping people resolve a wide variety of disagreements, both at the center and onsite at local courts.
“Carl not only shares years of conflict resolution expertise with our clients, but he also exudes warmth and a gentle sense of humor,” said Christine Gilman, the Center’s executive director.
Ver Beek will be honored along with Wyoming High School art teacher Robyn Gransow-Higley, who engaged the center for a classroom situation and went on to be trained as a restorative practices facilitator. Both will be honored at the DRCWM’s “reSOLVE it!” event to be held 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 at the B.O.B. The event, which is open to the public, includes an awards program, dinner, and a murder-mystery fundraising event.
The DRCWM is a nonprofit community organization serving seven counties in West Michigan. It provides mediation services on a sliding scale, mediation training, restorative facilitators, and restorative practices training.
Ver Beek, a labor and employment attorney at Varnum for more than 40 years, has dedicated thousands of hours to community and professional organizations over the course of his career and into retirement. He was recently inducted in the Indiana University Maurer School of Law Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, which recognizes those who have distinguished themselves in their careers through personal achievements and dedication to the highest standards of the profession.